Stubborn polystyrene waste finally gets innovative recycling solution (interestingengineering.com)
from floofloof@lemmy.ca to technology@lemmy.ml on 25 May 2024 02:50
https://lemmy.ca/post/21903870

#technology

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deegeese@sopuli.xyz on 25 May 2024 05:41 next collapse

10Mj/kg = 2.7kWh/kg

Not bad efficiency.

Tramort@programming.dev on 25 May 2024 06:12 next collapse

The problem is how low the density is.

Sure: per kilogram it looks ok, but that one kilogram took up an entire train car to move around.

a1studmuffin@aussie.zone on 25 May 2024 08:10 collapse

And imagine being the guy who’s got to clean out the train car afterwards of all the tiny pieces. Nightmare fuel.

linearchaos@lemmy.world on 25 May 2024 22:16 collapse

Oh my God my wife bought this bean bag once. It was a photography thing so it had to be absolutely packed full. So the skin came folded up in this tiny little plastic bag and then it came with three giant bags of styrofoam balls.

If you stuck your hand in the back and pulled it out it would just be coated. I spent hours just trying to scoop them into the bean bag.

When I got to the second bag to fill I found a long narrow box and taped it up to the side of the bean bag slice the bean bag open and used it to pour them through.

The whole experience was awful. And the cleanup took nearly as long as the fill.

Nomad@infosec.pub on 27 May 2024 12:59 collapse

In situ processing should solve that. Imagine a machine where you put that in, it gets crushed and sprayed and the liquid is transported and recycled.

harry315@feddit.de on 25 May 2024 07:22 next collapse

TL;DR: Pyrolysis with a yield of 60 percent styrene monomers.

Dymonika@beehaw.org on 25 May 2024 13:41 collapse

So what does that mean?

harry315@feddit.de on 25 May 2024 16:01 collapse

ELI5: They can now make the fluffy white plastic go back to liquid very well, and they don’t even need too much work for that.

Dymonika@beehaw.org on 25 May 2024 23:45 collapse

Woohoo!

ianovic69@feddit.uk on 25 May 2024 09:35 next collapse

In practical terms, how realistic is it to just not allow the stuff to be made?

I see much less of it these days, which is great and it’s usually replaced with cardboard that I imagine is much easier to recycle.

Can we do away with completely? It’s such an awful substance, it grinds my gears, as they say.

Vendetta9076@sh.itjust.works on 26 May 2024 00:27 next collapse

Honestly probably pretty easily. Its not even a good packing material.

frezik@midwest.social on 26 May 2024 00:40 collapse

It’s in more stuff than you think. High density polystyrene is what a good chunk of disposable plastic spoons/forks/knives is made of.

Pulptastic@midwest.social on 26 May 2024 02:49 collapse

The clear brittle kind. Cups too, the clear ones that snap when you squeeze them too hard.

Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone on 25 May 2024 13:45 next collapse

Just mix it with petrol and then you have sticky flammable substance to do with what you will

moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 25 May 2024 14:52 next collapse

Modern Day Napalm

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shalafi@lemmy.world on 26 May 2024 03:34 collapse

Experimenting with spreading mine on a cookie sheet to dry in the sun. Chop it up and you got handy fire starters.

EDIT: It works perfectly!

grrgyle@slrpnk.net on 25 May 2024 15:08 next collapse

Just outlaw it already. It was a bad idea

Vendetta9076@sh.itjust.works on 26 May 2024 00:26 collapse

But then how will I make homemade napalm?

grrgyle@slrpnk.net on 27 May 2024 12:45 collapse

I’m very against this unless it’s praxis

PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml on 26 May 2024 01:45 next collapse

Maybe we could just stop making plastic of all kinds. Reduce Reuse Recycle. Recycling is literally the last resort, we don’t need most of our plastic stuff today.

SuckMyWang@lemmy.world on 05 Jun 09:44 collapse

How will people convert convenience into money and become rich at the expense of future generations?

Gsus4@mander.xyz on 26 May 2024 02:55 collapse

why is this better than just icinerating it for baseload power? That is the only truly safe way to dispose of plastic, plus pyrolisis adds an extra step, which costs more energy.